The RC Toy Robot is a concept toy from designer Jaehong Eric Han.  The robot can be controlled from smart devices or across the internet, and multiple robots will be able to interact with each other. Amongst other capabilities are the ability to be used as a baby monitor, to give you alerts from your social networks, and display pictures on its small screen. Looks pretty cool either for kids or those that are still young at heart

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: RC Toy, Robot

RC Robot Could Be Your Robotic Pal originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 7, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Sivlerlit did well when they named this toy the 3D Twister because my play (err…I mean precise testing methodology) mostly involved watching the car skitter around our home and later our concrete driveway literally flipping, spinning, hopping and jumping around. At full throttle the car looks more like a frenetic animal than a toy car, so much so that a squirrel actually charged it a couple of times while we were playing (err testing).

A note to parents while this car seemed relatively safe for children five and older you’re going to have to help them get it out of the packaging and up and running. Manufacturers needs to rethink their packaging because holidays and birthdays are no fun when a parent is required to bring a toolbox and spend more time opening their child’s gifts than they do playing with them. The 3D Twister is not the worst example of problem packaging, but it does require an adult to cut many pieces of tape, then cut through two plastic wire ties (scissors, knife or snips are necessary) and finally either undo or cut two more twist ties to free the car. Then it’s time to get out your small screwdriver and find four AA batteries because they’re not included.

What's in the box...

Once I got the box open I found the car, remote, two spare tires, an instruction sheet, small “pairing” addendum, two sheets of paper-backed tape and a piece of cardboard. The car is about six inches long and weighs just under two ounces (50g). I’ve owned several small RC cars in the past and the build-quality of this one seemed a level or two better (in other words I wasn’t afraid it was going to fall apart in my hands). This proved to be true as during the crash-test stage the 3D Twister exhibited no signs of physical damage despite many hard crashes and the aforementioned squirrel attack.

However, out of the box my 3D Twister had a couple of problems. The front end of the car that controlled the steering was defective as it did not have enough tension to keep the wheels pointing straight. One side was good the other allowed the wheels to flop in that direction. The trim adjustment had no effect on this problem. It was possible to drive the car straight by correcting the wheels back in place with the remote steering, but this car moves very, very fast and that’s pretty hard to do. I saw no sign of damage to the car, but I believe a spring or tension device was either missing or defective on one side.

The front wheels just didn't want to stay straight.

The other problem involved the car’s crash feedback system. For those of you who are familiar with video game consoles that send vibrations back to their controllers this was supposed to be a similar mechanism. When the car crashes it would send a signal back to the transmitter causing it to vibrate. I felt the feedback twice in all the time we tested it and it was seemingly a random event. I believe the technology works; I just think the unit I received was defective.

What wasn’t defective was the little electric motor or the flip sensor. Flip sensor? Yes, the car actually has two tops, one red and one blue. It doesn’t matter which side is up as the car will send a signal to the controller and the controls adjust automatically. So turning the wheel to the right always makes the car go right, forward is forward and so on. This is a much-needed feature for this car as the power delivered to the rear wheels has the front end off the ground quite often. Have I mentioned that this little car is fast? The 3D Twister travels at about 21 feet per second (14.5 MPH). That means it will move across most rooms in under two seconds. Parents don’t despair while the 3D Twister moves quickly and will collide quite often with…everything…it’s so light that I didn’t see any damage or marks to our walls or furniture.

The 3D Twister is almost always a blur...

I was disappointed in the Bump & Run Stunt Ramp that was included with the car. The pictures on the box show the 3D Twister flipping and driving down a plastic road/ramp. What you get is a rectangular piece of cardboard with some cuts that allows you to use the included tape (if you can get it off the back which I couldn’t) to build a small, four-sided ramp. Of course, it’s possible to build your own ramps out of some cardboard.

After running the car over the ramp  a couple of times my fellow researcher (six-year-old son) reported that the most fun to be had was putting the car on the floor…holding the accelerator all the way down and watching it zip around, bounce off walls, furniture, and cabinets, in a blurred display of hopping, flipping and, top-like, spinning.

Unfortunately, like most RC toys in this class the battery lasts under 10 minutes and then requires a cool-down period of 15 minutes and a recharge time of roughly 20 minutes before play can begin again. The battery is not replaceable so you can’t keep another charged pack ready as is normally done with the larger RC toys. After about two play/cool/charge cycles my co-researcher declared the 3D Twister to be boring and left to pursue his work on forcing cold fission between grape jelly molecules and the surface of several DVDs.

Refueling (charging) the 3D Twister is done by connecting a cable from the remote to the car.

For the sake of science I carried on with the research and took the car and transmitter outside to our concrete driveway to see if a large, relatively flat and clear area would allow me to see just how fast the car was when not hitting all of those bothersome things that we tend to keep inside our homes. The car is so fast, and so light though that even the slightest imperfection in the surfaces causes the 3D Twister to hop or flip. So, while dreams of a mini-Bonneville Salt Flats were dashed the larger open space allowed for some more fun and the interesting encounter with a squirrel.

I was running the car around trying to see what the maximum range is on the transmitter’s radio (about 30 feet) when a squirrel approached and started watching intently as the 3D Twister hopped and flipped around my driveway. When moving at full speed the car is very erratic and really does look like something that could be alive (albeit in a mad frenzy). So either out of lust, hunger or anger the squirrel actually charged the car but backed off when it hit a small pebble and went into a spin. The squirrel then ran at the 3D Twister again…this time though our furry friend got too close and was hit by one of the rear wheels and scampered away. Some rough calculations that required me to actually use Pi (rather than eat it) lead me to believe that the rear tires are spinning at close to 5,000 RPM at full speed…placing them above the maximum safe squirrel facial friction levels.

So, after about three hours of use/cooling/charging my testing of Silverlit’s 3D Twister RC Racer is complete and here are the results:

Be prepared to cut wire and twist ties to free your toy.

1. Packaging: Not great – Requires tools to snip through plastic wire ties and twist ties. Expect safe removal of the toy to take 10 – 15 minutes unless you have everything at the ready. Remember to have four AA batteries and a small screwdriver with you as batteries are not included.
2. Quality – There were two defects in the unit I received (front wheels and crash feedback). If I had purchased this unit I would have returned it for another. I didn’t find any reports of widespread problems with this toy on the internet, so I’ll assume it was just a manufacturing fluke.The transmitter feels and looks like cheap plastic, however it worked well during our testing. I don’t believe it would survive extended use or any kind of drop. Somehow though, I don’t think many of these small RC cars ever get used more than a few times.The 3D Twister car was better built than I expected. After several hours of running into, through and over everything in sight there were no physical signs of damage on the car’s body. The foam tires were beginning to show a little wear, but that was probably from use on the driveway and the kit comes with a spare set.
3. Fun Factor – I have owned a couple of RC cars and boats in the past, but tired of them after a few runs. My son loves cars and trucks, he has watched every episode of Top Gear, owns hundreds of Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars and the complete set of Chevron vehicles. He will pontificate on the advantages that the Aston Martin has over BMW and loves to go to our local race track (Palm Beach International Raceway). He was excited to play with the car, with dad, and on his own. He became pretty adept at using the remote. However, the short battery life followed with the cool down/charge cycle killed his interest pretty quickly. I would expect an older child (around 10 perhaps) might get more use/fun out of this toy.
4. Value – The 3D Twister lists at $49.99. While there is some pretty impressive technology in this toy like the 2.4GHz radio, flip sensor and crash detection and the car, itself, appears to be quite sturdy I don’t believe either me or my son would get $50 worth of fun out of it. However, someone that really likes RC cars may feel otherwise and find this to be a great gift. I should note that it appears the package I received may not be the full kit that is sold for $49.99. If you go to https://get3dtwister.com/ to make your purchase you should receive what appears to be three or four plastic ramps rather than the cardboard model I described.
5. Additional Information – Since I am not an RC car expert I took a spin around the internet and found someone who is and here’s his video review of the 3D Twister. Best of all it doesn’t appear any squirrels were harmed during the production.

Update: 12/23/2011: The people at Silverlit and JS2 (squared) Communications sent me a second 3D Twister this time with the full ramp set. The wheel problem was mostly fixed. The front wheels were still a bit off, but this was easily adjusted to “true” with the trim adjustment. The crash feedback was working very well on this model. The additional ramps are sturdier and allow for some different configurations that my son enjoyed greatly.  After several additional hours of “testing” the 3D Twister has earned the label of “really fun” from my oldest boy (six), it has also not been broken yet which is quite an accomplishment.

I’ve received a couple of comments about the squirrel attack. That same squirrel (there are only a couple in the neighborhood) came up to our front porch and attacked/killed an avocado tree seedling we had recently moved outside.

No animals were harmed in the creation of this review – yet.

Update 4/15/2012: I realized today that my oldest son (7) still is playing with an enjoying this toy. That says a lot as every other RC car he has received (and there have been a bunch) either broke or has been ignored. It’s not often a toy like this stays interesting to a young child…but the 3D Twister has managed to do just that. I’m going to buy another so we can race.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, Reviews

Tagged: enj, RC Toy

Silverlit’s 3D Twister 2.4 GHz RC Racer Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 25, 2011 at 11:15 am.

If you love RC cars and iOS devices, how about combining the two with a Dexim Monster Truck that can be controlled by your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch. Using the included transmitter and the free AppSpeed app, move the truck either by using the on-screen touch controls or use the device’s accelerometer. The car can be moved by tipping your iPhone forwards, backwards or sideways. The AppSpeed Monster Truck will retail for $69.99 and will be available this Fall.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, iPhone, iPad, iPod related, Kid Gadgets, News

Tagged: iPhone, RC Toy

Dexim Announces New AppSpeed iOS-controlled Vehicle originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 8, 2011 at 1:00 pm.

I’ve seen these little toy helicopters for a while now, but as much as I like toys, I never bought one.  Why?  Well for one thing, I was always afraid I’d “shoot my eye out” or it just wouldn’t work.  I mean, how well could something so TINY work after all?

Enter the Swann series of gyro balanced remote controlled helicopters.  Not the flatbread with meat inside, but as in gyroscopic.  Notice the two sets of blades?  These counter-rotate, which attempts to cancel out the tendency for rotating things to swing in one direction.

Swann sells a wide range of little helicopters measuring from a petite 5.5″ long to one model measuring a whopping 18″ long.  Some models fire teeny toy missiles remotely.

The Emergency Strike model I got is a red and white little thing, measuring 8.6″ long.

• Rotor Diameter 7″ (178mm)
• Dimensions 8.6″ x 2″ x 3.7″ (215mm x 53mm x 3.7mm)
• Weight 1.3oz / 37g (Helicopter only)
• Helicopter Battery Built-in 3.7V 130mAh Li-poly
• Rechargeable from Computer USB or Remote
• Helicopter Flight Time Per Charge: 8 minutes
• Helicopter Battery Charge Time: 50-60 minutes via Remote or USB
• Remote Control: Infrared
• Remote Control Battery Type x Qty: 6 x AA (Batteries NOT included)

Beware of the tie-wraps of death!

Tiny, non-rolling wheels make up the landing gear

The red and white blades don't move. The black one on top does, powered by what resembles a cell phone vibrator motor.

Warning: "DONOT" skip these warnings!

LED on the topside blinks blue and red when powered on

White-ish LED "spotlight" on the nose is a neat touch

Another blue-red blinky on the bottom

The bottom side reveals the teensy power switch, charging port, and a crooked IR receiver.

The IR remote control is almost as big as the helicopter. iPhone 4 for size comparison.

Feeding time! The remote takes six AA batteries.

A clever charging cable is hidden under one of the grips!

Swann also includes this yellow USB charging cable... with a twist...

The USB end glows red to indicate power. If it STILL glows red when you're plugged into the 'copter, you're not sending juice. I ended up charging up via iPhone charger.

OK OK so how does it FLY?

The left stick controls motor speed.  The stick doesn’t have a centering spring; you leave it one position, it stays there.  I thought this was dumb until I tried to fly the thing.  When the stick is in the lowest position, the motor stops.  You WANT the left stick to stay in place in case you’re trying to hover in place, otherwise your thumb just gets really, really tired.

The right stick is omnidirectional.  Pushing forward/back makes the helicopter go back and forth.  Left/right rotates the helicopter.  In other words, if you’re simply hovering in the air, left/right simply results in the thing spinning in place.

There is a small trim knob on the remote that fine-tunes the left-right rotation if you need to.

The instructions suggest flying indoors, since wind can be a factor.  I tried flying in the largest room in my office with interesting results.

The BIGGEST challenge I had was simply getting the helicopter to hover in one place.  The slightest movement of the left joystick sent the toy shooting up towards the ceiling or making a rapid descent.  At least the gyroscopic effects of the counter-rotating blades seemed spot on.  I sort of thought this thing would go spinning like mad, but that wasn’t the case.

After a LOT of crashes, I managed to get the helicopter to take off from one tabletop and land on another.  It was the most inelegant flight I’ve ever seen.  This obviously takes lots of practice.

DONOT crash into too many chairs.

After my first session of crashing into walls and chairs, I noticed the blades had already sustained some damage.  No wonder Swann packs in a second set.  I imagine with enough damage, the flight dynamics would change considerably (like shooting someone’s eye out).

These little helicopters a lot of fun!  I just wish I had more room to play in and more time to practice!

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Reviews

Tagged: RC Toy

Swann Emergency Strike Remote Controlled Helicopter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 14, 2011 at 11:00 am.

Growing up, my favorite toys were my collection of remote control cars.  I’d look forward to the weekends when I could spend the day racing them around the street or, in the case of my prized hovercraft, the pool with my dad.  I haven’t played with one in about twenty years, and was curious what improvements have been made over that time.  A spy car from Trend Times with a video camera and a microphone was too tempting to let pass by.

What’s In the Box

• spy car
• controller
• rechargeable battery pack for car
• charger
• manual
• antenna
• earbud

The car itself is fairly average looking and made of a very lightweight plastic.  I would have initially categorized it as flimsy, but while playing it has survived many crashes into my actual car, living room furniture, Belgian block, and trees and is still intact and running strong.  It has a 007 decal displayed across each side–it is a spy car after all.  The bottom of the car contains an on/off switch and a channel toggle switch in the event I have two friends racing the identical car with me.

Other than the camera, there really isn’t anything on the surface that’s all too different from any other RC car. It’s about 15″ long and 6″ high.  The car bears absolutely no resemblance to the hardcore, Batmobile-meets-steampunk looking car from the website picture, which was a bit of a disappointment.

Setting up the car was a lesson in patience.    All four wheels were bolted into the styrofoam with (stripped) screws.  One eyeglass screwdriver and many curses later, it was free!  Next up came the batteries.  I had charged the battery pack for the car and bought the necessary 8 AA batteries for the remote.  I discovered my new pet peeve:  adding teeny tiny screws to battery covers that already snap and lock shut.  So I battled with the screws on the car, then the screws on the remote, placed the batteries, screwed everything back in.  The car turned on with red glowing tail lights, but the remote–nothing.  Another thirty minutes of replacing batteries and dealing with the screws still resulted in a dead remote.  I placed a small piece of aluminum foil between each battery and finally found the two that weren’t making a tight enough connection.  After a day or so of rigging, the battery connection began to work without foil.  Whew!  Now for the roadtest…

Boy this thing is loud!

The car only has one speed–I call it “go.”  I remember back in the day the speed was determinate on how far forward you would press the acceleration stick.  Not this car.  The slightest nudge sends the car off, as does a full push forward.  This makes turning and keeping control of the car a little tough.

Despite the rugged looking tires, I had a difficult time navigating the car over gravel or grass.  A large piece of mulch was enough to cause a hang up.

The radio frequency range is around 50 feet (car responds intermittently and with a delay; camera tends to break up more often) to just under 100 feet (no response from car or camera).

The biggest feature of the car is the inclusion of a camera with corresponding 1.5″ LCD display on the remote.  This is really the best part of the car because it works well (with a caveat–in a moment) and the picture quality on the remote is actually quite good.

Xbox Controller or Remote?

I was expecting a very grainy, barely recognizable image and was pleasantly surprised.  Occasionally, there is a bit of interference and breakup of the image but otherwise video reception was consistent.  The remote has a dial to adjust the brightness of the image.  An addition to the camera is a corresponding microphone, and another surprise–it also works well.  There isn’t an overwhleming amount of motor noise from the car while it’s moving, but it obviously works much better when the car is still.

The remote also features audio and video outputs that could be hooked up to a TV or recording device, an option to turn  the headlights of the car on and off, and a laser for playing car laser tag with those two aforementioned friends.

The only issue I have is the placement of the camera, which is a bit too high to see any obstacles in the car’s way until you’re already stuck on it.  I get great images of the sky and buildings, but nothing at ground level.  It’s nearly impossible to drive the car relying solely upon the display.

All of the car’s special features do work but then the thought struck me–who is it that I’d actually be spying on?  It’s not as though the car is so quiet that someone wouldn’t notice a car whirring up behind them.  I guess maybe the car could just sit in a corner and observe without moving, but that would sort of defeat the purpose of having a camera on a car.

I probably would have had this car on a Christmas wish list as a kid and found some nefarious use for its camera and mike.  The adult in me though is just sort of scratching her head trying to figure out the practicalities of it, especially when you take into account the nearly $200 price tag.  Maybe I just to lighten up and take a few more laps around the street!

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Kid Gadgets, Reviews

Tagged: RC Toy

TrendTimes.com RC Spy Car Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 11, 2010 at 5:00 pm.

Today I have something for robot and remote control toy enthusiasts. It’s the Zibits Mini R/C Robot from Senario. Zibits are cute 2 inch tall collectible robots that can rotate 360 degrees and are equipped with lights and sounds.

Package Contents

Zibit Robot
Remote control
Instruction sheet

Each robot is made of plastic and is a little over 2 inches tall. There are 12 different models to choose from. I was sent the Vintage Tech: Gold Zibit.

Each model is shaped differently, but they all have a main body with two arms that can be manually turned / posed. The visor has a green LED that flashes when first turned on and whenever the controller on the remote is activated.

A small power switch is located on the side of the head. Luckily, if you forget to turn off the Zibit after you’re finished playing with it, it will automatically power off after a period of non-use.

There are three wheels in the base. Two stationary and one that rotates 360 degrees to control the direction of the robot.

A small battery compartment in the robot’s head holds 3 LR 44 coin cell batteries (which are included).

You’ll need 2 AAA batteries to install in the remote control. Unfortunately, they aren’t included with the robot. I wish both the remote and the robot itself could be recharged via USB or some other mention so that there would be no need to replace the batteries.

The remote control has a spring loaded joystick type of knob at one end. The controller also houses a speaker that provides R2D2 style sound effects when the knob is pressed and the robot is moving.

The joystick can only move in 2 directions, up and down. Up moves the robot forward and down spins the robot 360 degrees until you let go of the knob. The spin is pretty fast, so it takes some practice before you can accurately control the direction of the robot.

See it in action

I’ve been playing with the Zibit off and on for a few weeks and have yet to run down the batteries. I talked to the PR person that sent me the sample and she mentioned that they are still playing with ones they’ve had since January.

These remote controlled toys are fun for young and old. I’m adding this one to my robot collection.

Zibits are currently available at Bot abing Bot aboom and will be available at Toys “R” Us later in the month.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Reviews

Tagged: RC Toy, Robot

Zibits Mini R/C Robots Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 13, 2010 at 10:55 am.

Remote control cars are so 80s and are being replaced by those remote control helicopters that we see everywhere in mall kiosks.  Most of the ones out there are built with foam or thin plastic bodies to keep them light.  And we all know how they always end up with inexperienced “pilots”.  Those light foam / plastic bodies aren’t made for crashing.  That’s where Brando’s Tiny USB Rechargeable RC Helicopter comes in.  This RC helicopter has a light weight metal body composite which should survive more crashes compared to the foam / plastic RC helicopters.

There aren’t any instruction booklets inside the packaging.  Instead all the instructions are located on the bottom side of the packaging.  The picture above shows the basic elevation and movement controls.

And this picture shows how to trim the helicopter when the helicopter spins on its axis.  Seems pretty basic enough to learn.

I love how they presented the helicopter in a clear opening showing the light metal frame and parts.  From the look of it, it seems like it can take quite a fall and still survive.

The controller is huge compared to the helicopter.  It’s an infrared controller which requires line of sight to the helicopter.  Brando was nice to include 2 extra helicopter blades, 2 small tail rotor blades, and a mini-screwdriver.  What they did forget in the packaging was the USB cable to charge the helicopter which puzzled me because they did name this as the Tiny USB Rechargeable RC Helicopter.

The actual helicopter is a thing of beauty.  I was amazed that over 75% of the parts were made of the light weight metal composite.  It’s very nicely built.  And it feels much heavier compared to those foam helicopters which made me wonder if those tiny motors can produce enough torque to lift this helicopter.

A few beautiful pictures of the design and structure of the helicopter.

A small flap opens up on the controller to reveal the charging cable.  It took about 45 minutes for a full charge which produced about 10 minutes of flight time.  Not really a great reward for waiting that long on charging but it’s understandable for such a small helicopter.

Yep, that’s six AA batteries!!  Don’t we just miss those controllers that only take a single 9 volt?

Picture of the helicopter charging up.  The built-in cable reaches a max 2 inches.  And like I mentioned before, the USB cable is missing from this packaging.

I got 10 minutes of flight time after the initial 45 minutes of charging.  Took some getting used to in controlling the helicopter but it’s an easy learning curve.  If you hold on to the helicopter without letting it go and just max out on the throttle then you will feel a huge amount of torque being produced by the helicopter.  I was really amazed with the power of this tiny helicopter.  This helicopter has 3 tiny motors.  One to control the elevation, another to control the stabilizers, and lastly one to control the tail rotor.  Flying it around was pretty fun.  I did notice that I have to adjust the trim each time I fly.  I did crash it a few times when trying to get used to it, but it survived with no scratches or dents that I could notice.  Most of the crashes occurred on a carpeted area.

After my first 10 minutes I was eager to fly again.  So I charged it up and wanted to fly around the foyer with the high ceilings and bigger area.  It was going well up until I flew too close to the air condition vents which so happened to turn on at the same time.  Mayday mayday mayday!  The tiny helicopter was no fight for the blast of the a/c.  The stabilizers aren’t made for any wind situation, which caused the helicopter to go sideways and crash on the hard marble floor.

At first glance it seemed like it was still in one piece.  At closer look, I saw that one of the main blades broke off.  Which is no problem since Brando provided replacement parts.  But then I looked again.  The blade wasn’t broken at all!  It’s the plastic piece that held the blade on to the motor shaft that broke!  I was disappointed that it broke only on my second charge of the helicopter.  Brando does sell the replacement shaft and blades section of the helicopter for $11 which I might just order so I can play with this longer.

I was really impressed with the overall build quality of this helicopter.  Flying was simple and straightforward.  I would highly recommend this over any of those foam/plastic helicopters.  The charge time was worth the wait for the 10 minutes of fun.  Would be nice if Brando made another helicopter that’s like 99% metal composite which I think would survive a fall to hard surfaces.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy

Brando Tiny USB Rechargeable RC Helicopter Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 16, 2009 at 8:00 am.

Yay! Finally a mini radio controlled helicopter that doesn’t require you to use AA or AAA batteries to charge it. This Tiny USB Rechargeable RC Helicopter from Brando includes a chargeing cable that plugs into a regular USB port on your computer. Another advantage of this particular copter is that it has a metal body. Most of the tiny copters that you see have bodies made of Styrofoam. It’s available now for 39.90.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Spotlight Gadgets

USB rechargeable mini RC helicopter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 21, 2009 at 12:29 pm.

When I was in the 2nd grade (back in the 70′s),  my Dad would race miniature slot cars at a local hobby shop. I remember wanting to play with these cars and not being allowed to do so. My Dad kept his collection of track and cars in a spare bedroom in the house and of course I went in there whenever they weren’t home played with the cars Ah, but that isn’t the worst of it. I actually swiped a few of them, took them to school and traded them with the boys for other toys. A teacher saw a boy with one of the cars and was sure it wasn’t something he shouldn’t have at school. The kid ratted me out and I got called to the principals office. The principal did not threaten to call my parents, but I was terrified for weeks after that whenever the phone would ring in the evenings. These memories all came flooding back as I was testing out the Micro Slot Car Basic Set that was sent to me by Brando.

The set is made by Takara Tomy and comes with almost everything you need for some desktop racing adventures.

Package Contents

Micro Slot Car TOYOTA 2000GT with collection case
Micro Slot Car FAIRLADY Z (Z33) (Limited Edition)
Tracks: straight-5, small corners-6, large corners-2
Battery Box
2 Controllers
Instruction pamphlet

The only things not included are 6 AA batteries. I tested this set using rechargeables.

The tracks are hard plastic pieces that can fit together in a variety of ways.

Each end of has two slots and two posts that allow you to snap the pieces together to form a race track.

Each section of track has two slots with a metal wire on each side. This is where the name slot car comes from.

The set comes with two cars and two controllers, so that you can either race by yourself or with a friend.

On the bottom of the car is a plastic post, with metal contacts on either side. The post rests in the slot in the track, while the metal contacts touch the metal wires on either side of the slot. When power is applied to the track, juice flows through the wires in the track and cause the tiny motor in the car to spin the tires.

After you setup the track, you plug the battery box into the track using the USB cable. Yes, I said USB. I was surprised too. The battery box holds 6 AA batteries and has two separate switches on the front.

One for each wired controller.

Racing the cars is simple and fun. Just place the cars in the slots, flip the switches on the battery box, squeeze the trigger on the controller and away you go! Sometimes you have to adjust the position of the car on the track, so that the metal contacts on the bottom are resting on the metal wires next to the slot.

The little cars can really fly around the track… sometimes they even fly off or jump tracks. I had more trouble keeping the smaller / lighter White car on the track. The Grey car worked a lot better.

Let’s see it in action!

The video isn’t very good (I was holding the camera in one hand and racing with the other), but I think that you get the idea…

The Takara Tomy Micro Slot Car Basic Set is kind of expensive at $80, but it’s a lot of fun to play with. I know if I would take it up my my day job, that the guys would probably go crazy over it. But I think I’m going to box it up and give it to my Dad and finally come clean about  swiping a few of his cars all those years ago. They say that confession is good for the soul.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy

Takara Micro Slot Car Basic Set Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on June 24, 2009 at 2:30 am.

Last month Plantraco introduced a micro spitfire RC plane. This month, they bring us a 1/72nd scale Messerschmitt Fighter. I have no idea what a Messerschmitt Fighter really is, but it looks pretty darn cool. Now you can buy both and go head to head in aerial combat. On second thought, that’s probably a really bad idea considering that these little guys cost one hundred bucks a pop.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: Plane, RC Toy, Spotlight Gadgets

Tiny RC fighter plane from Plantraco originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 23, 2009 at 9:51 pm.

Remember the tiny Carbon Butterfly R/C plane from Plantraco that I reviewed two years ago? Now they are offering a 1:72nd scale Spitfire radio controlled airplane that has a wingspan of only 6 inches. Too cool!

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Remote Control, Spotlight Gadgets

Spotlight Gadget – World’s Smallest Warbird originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 5, 2009 at 8:46 pm.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to play with all sorts of R/C (remote controlled) cars,planes and helicopters. I’ve even flown an
R/C UFO. But until now, I’d never controlled
an R/C submarine. But now I can say that I have, because Trend Times Toys sent me the Sub-Sonic XP R/C Submarine to review.

Package Contents

Sub-Sonic XP Sub
Controller
Charger
Instructions

The submarine is made surprisingly well. The plastic is thick and feels like it can take a lot of abuse. A small on/off power switch is located on top of the sub.

The sub has 3 different rotating blades. Two of them are in the tail section of the sub, pointing towards the back. Another rotor is located in the center.

On the bottom of the sub there is a two prong power connector that is protected by a flexible plastic cap. To charge the sub, you just lift that protective cap and plug the sub into the charging base.

The charging base is powered by 3 AA batteries (not included).

What I like about the charging base is that you just press the sub into the base and it will immediately start charging the sub’s batteries. You don’t have to flip any switches
on the base for this to occur.

Charging takes about 3 minutes. When completed, the two Red LEDs on the charging base will turn off to signal that it is ready to go. A full charge will give you 3 minutes of play.

Controlling the sub is done with the hand held remote. This remote is powered by one 9V battery (not included). The controller reminds me of an Xbox controller as it has shoulder buttons, Left and Right thumb style joysticks and two other buttons that control lights and the center rotor. There is also a channel selector if you have more than one sub.

I guess you could compare controlling the sub with flying an RC plane. You can steer Left and Right, as well as diving down and surfacing. I wouldn’t be lying if I told you that it takes some practice. I actually didn’t have an optimal way to review the sub as most people’s pools are already covered for the season. My bathtub was the biggest body of water that I could come up with, so that is what I used. If you’ve played with other RC toys in the past, this sub is a nice change of pace. I’m guessing kids might be tempted to take more baths if they had a toy such as this one to take into the tub with them ;o) The Sub-Sonic XP is a fun RC submarine that kids and grownups alike will enjoy.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Remote Controlled Sub-Sonic XP Submarine Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 27, 2008 at 6:00 pm.

There are all kinds of small RC flying toys on the market these days. We’ve reviewed our share of them here on the Gadgeteer. They are fun to play with, but I really am not very good at flying them. If I take one outdoors, it ends up on the roof. If I fly indoors, I tend to crash them into walls, people’s heads, etc. Some people can fly RC toys and some can’t. If you find yourself in the same group as me, then you’ll love the Intelli UFO from Trend Times Toys. Anyone can fly this one!

Package Contents

UFO
Controller
Charger / battery pack

The Intelli UFO is really more of a helicopter than a true flying saucer, as it has three sets of rotors. There are two sets of blades that are connected to the top of the saucer and then the little feet on the bottom are actually another set of blades that will rotate while flying.

The saucer is really small, about the size of a 25 cent gumball, or the diameter of a quarter. It’s made of plastic and has a small connector for the charger and a small power switch built into its base.

To fly the UFO, you first have to charge its internal batteries. You do this with the large plastic battery pack. Hmm, it just occurred to me that the design on the top of the battery pack might be a landing pad.

This battery pack requires 8 (yes, I said AA batteries. My suggestion is to use rechargeable batteries. Once the batteries are loaded, you plug the small connector into the matching socket on the UFO and turn the power switch on the charger pack to ON. Both the Green charge LED and Red Power LED will light up. When charging is completed (approximately 20-30 minutes), the Green light will go off, to signal that the batteries in the UFO have been charged.

Like all RC toys, some type of controller has to be used. The one for the UFO is the smallest RC controller I’ve ever seen. It’s powered by 3 AG13 button cell batteries (included) and is about the size of a lighter at 2.5 inches long. On the top are two buttons to control the LEDs on the UFO, a power indicator LED and the throttle. On the side is the controller power switch. As you will notice, there aren’t any steering controls, just a simple throttle.

To fly the Intelli UFO, you unhook it from the charger, flip the little power switch to On and flip the power switch on the controller to On.

When you flip the power switch on the UFO, some LEDs will light up. You can then either set the UFO on a flat surface, or hold the body between your thumb and index finger and use your other hand to slide the throttle on the controller to start spinning the blades. I think it’s easier to hold the UFO and drop it while the blades are spinning. It will then hover or fly higher depending on how far you slide the throttle. If you’re flying indoors, you’ll have to be careful not to crash into the ceiling. If it goes too high, just ease back on the throttle. Doing so, will cause the saucer to start descending. Slide the throttle back up and it will cause the UFO to ascend. Since you can’t steer the UFO in any direction besides up and down, it’s sort of like playing with an RC yo-yo.

On a full charge, you can fly the UFO for about 5-6 minutes. You’ll know when the batteries are getting too weak, when the UFO won’t fly more than an inch or so off the floor.

The row of LEDs in the body of the UFO create an interesting pattern as it spins in flight. If this bugs you, you can turn them off with the switch on the controller.

The Intelli UFO is as simple an RC flying toy as you can probably get. You don’t have to worry about pitch, trim or steering. You just have one simple throttle to increase or decrease height. My only complaints are that it might be priced a bit high for what it can actually do, and then the fact that the battery charger requires 8 batteries… If you can get past those two things, this is a great toy for people with less than stellar RC flying skills.

Right now Trend Times Toys is running a special promotional price of 19.95 each when buying 3 or more UFOs.

the UFOs.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Remote Controlled Intelli UFO Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 27, 2008 at 7:30 am.

This week’s video quick look review comes from the Gadgeteer Kid. He takes a look at the Rechargeable Desktop Mini R/C Ferrari FXX Enzo car from Brando’s Toy Shop.

Features

The Mini RC Ferrari FXX Enzo is officially licensed by Ferrari
Scale 1/43
Effective Control Distance is about 10M
Full Function Remote Controller (6 Ways Controls)
Fast Charging Station (3 Minutes Fast Charging)
HxWxD(approx.): 25mm x 30mm x 65mm
Required 6 AA batteries (not included)

Filed in categories: Geek Toys, Video Reviews

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

The Gadgeteer Kid’s Video Quick Look at the Mini R/C Ferrari FXX Enzo Set from Brando originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 14, 2008 at 8:45 pm.

Last year at this time, I reviewed my very first RC helicopter. It was the PicooZ from HobbyTron. I guess it’s only fitting that almost one year later, that I review a step up from the PiccoZ; today I’m going tell you about the Hornet 3.

Features

15 Step Digital Proportional Controls
Tail Rotor Trim Dial (persists through power down)
EPP Foam CP2 ‘Crash Proof’ Design
Hi-Capacity Li-Poly Battery (7-9 min fly times)
Charges From the Controller
3 Flight Modes (hover, pilot, attack)

Package Contents

Hornet 3 Mini RC Helicopter
Controller
Advanced Tuning Guide
Tool Set
Customizable Decals

Very similar in size, shape and design, the Hornet 3 does have some nice upgrades that make it a great choice of RC toy for those of you that have small spaces to fly in. This is an indoors only RC helicopter. You can ‘try’ to fly it outside, but any slight breeze will play havoc with controlling it.

The Hornet 3 has a more realistic shape than the PicooZ. It’s made of EPP foam, which is dense, but very light weight and crash resistant. Even though this helicopter feels very fragile, it can take quite a bit of abuse and not be any worse for wear.

As you can see in the image above, the Hornet 3 has landing gear instead of foam fins. This is a nice improvement over the PicooZ as it allows you to land more easily.

A nice handheld controller is included with the helicopter. This controller is powered by 6 AA batteries which are not included. The controller has thumb controls for lift up/down and turn left/right. There is also a trim dial that you can use to adjust the rotation of helicopter while flying. For the most part you do not want it to rotate at all. You want it to remain steady as you lift up and down and turn left and right.

The battery in the helicopter has to be charged before you can fly it. This is done by plugging it into the handheld controller. There is a charging cable hidden in a compartment that is accessed by a sliding door on the top of the controller.

The cable plugs into the bottom of the helicopter, next to the power switch. Charging takes approximately 10 minutes, which will yield you about 7-9 minutes of flight time.

You might also notice the vertical lines on the belly of the helicopter. This are the indicators for adding the included stick-on weights. These weights let you change the way the helicopter flies. There are three ‘modes’… Hover, Pilot and Attack. The instructions really don’t explain what the differences are between the modes. I gave each one a try and found that when the weight is the attack position, the helicopter flies with it’s nose pointed down just a bit. In the pilot position, the weight allows you to navigate easier. And in the hover position, the weight let’s you more easily — hover. Who would have guessed ;o)

Of all the RC flying toys that I’ve reviewed thus far, I would have to say that the Hornet 3 is the easiest to control and is the most fun to fly.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

HobbyTron Hornet 3 Series Mini RC Helicopter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 4, 2007 at 12:50 pm.

Here’s another indoor remote controlled airplane for those of you that have problems controlling RC helicopters. This is the Aero Soarer from Takara Tomy. Brando sent one over for me to tear up. I mean play with. )

The Aero Soarer is very similar in design to the Silverlit Palm-Z RC airplane that I just reviewed.

Package Contents

Aero Soarer plane
Handheld remote
Wall hanger
Instructions

The Aero Soarer is made of very light styrofoam material. It’s flimsier than the material used for the Palm-Z. The Aero has just one wing, whereas the Palm-Z is a bi-plane.

The plane is powered by a rechargeable battery that is located in the mid-section of the plane.

Here you see the propeller and tail rudder.

Controlling and charging the plane is done through the small handheld remote control. This remote is powered by 3 AA batteries that are not included. There is a throttle and Left / Right buttons.

To charge the plane’s battery, you connect it into the slot on the top of the remote.

It takes a firm press to seat the battery contacts into the connector. Everytime I connected it, I was afraid I might accidently snap the body of the plane. Once the plane is connected, you just flip the switch on the remote to Charge. The Red LED will blink while the battery is charging and will turn off when complete. The plane will also beep to signal that charging is completed. The charging operation is very quick. It takes only a couple of minutes.

To fly the Aero Soarer, you just flip the power switch on the remote to On, slide the throttle up so that the propeller on the plane is twirling and then give the plane a little toss to start it flying. At this point, I’ll say that the Aero Soarer is a little easier to fly than the Palm-Z. But, it runs out of spizz way too quickly. It seems like you can get some good height for about 30 seconds or so and from then until the battery dies, you can’t get the plane to climb more than a foot or two off the floor. Per charge you can probably expect to fly the plane for maybe 5 minutes. That includes all the time that it takes to run after it after it’s crashed too.

The Aero Soarer is fun to play with, but if you want a little RC plane like this one, I’d recommend the Palm-Z instead. It’s not as fragile and flies longer and higher per charge.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Takara Tomy Aero Soarer RC Airplane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 7:56 pm.

In the past 12 months, HobbyTron has
sent me several RC helicopters to review, but today I’m going to tell you about
something a little different. HobbyTron has a new offering; the Silverlit Palm-Z
RC airplane. Silverlit is the same
company that created the tiny PicooZ helicopter.

Package Contents

Palm-Z Mini Plane
2 Channel Infrared Control
3.7V Li-Poly Rechargeable Battery Pack in Plane
Wall Hook
Instructions

The only items not included with this kit are four AA batteries to power the
handheld remote control.

The Palm-Z airplane is made of
EPP Foam. I’m not sure what the differences are between EPP foam and regular
styrofoam, but like styrofoam, the Palm-Z is very light weight and fragile
feeling. It’s really stronger than what you would think though. I’ve been having a lot of fun with
this little plane and have crashed it numerous times without any breakages so
far (fingers crossed).

The Palm-Z is small. It has a wingspan of only 8 inches. This will allow you to
fly it in small rooms without difficulty. The most fragile part of the plane in
my opinion is the small tail rudder piece. It’s made of the thinnest material. I guess that’s the reason why an extra one is included with this plane.

As you can see in the image above, there is a small propeller located behind the
top wing. This propeller is powered by a very small Li-Poly rechargeable battery
pack that is located in the body of the plane. Recharging of the battery is done
through the handheld remote control.

The remote has several controls, including a throttle slider, Left / Right
steering slider, trim control, power / charging toggle switch, and channel
switch. LEDs indicate charging and power on status.

If you look at the top of the remote control, you’ll see a small socket. You can
plug an IR booster pack into this socket, which will give you more range between
the controller and the plane. As is, the controller has a range of approximately
15 feet.

The remote control requires 4 AA Alkaline batteries (not included) to power the
controller and charge the battery in the plane. To charge the plane, you plug
the plane’s connector into the top of the controller and turn the switch to
Charge.

The charging light will glow Green while the battery is charging, and will
turn off once the charge is complete. Charge time is about ten to twelve minutes
and will give you flight times of up to seven minutes.

To fly the Palm-Z, you flip the switch on the bottom of the plane to the On position and push the throttle up on the handheld remote. The propeller on the plane will turn and you can then give the plane a gentle toss like you would a paper airplane and away she’ll go. It takes a bit of practice before you’ll be able to make turns and landings, but flying this plane isn’t very difficult at all. Since this plane is relatively fragile in construction, it’s probably better suited for older kids and adults. That said, it makes a wonderful play thing for rainy days or any day for that matter.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Silverlit Palm-Z Mini RC Indoor Airplane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 7:15 pm.

HobbyTron sells a lot of really cool RC flying and driving toys. They recently sent me the BladeRunner II. I was really surprised that they would trust me with another RC helicopter as I had totally destroyed the AH-64 Apache helicopter that they had sent me earlier in the year. After I had tried it, I was convinced that RC copters were just too hard to control. I’m happy to report that this is not the case with the Bladerunner II.

The Bladerunner is a medium sized helicopter. Not tiny like the PicooZ that I reviewed last year.

Package Contents

Bladerunner II helicopter
Handheld remote
Antenna for the remote
AC adapter
Instructions

The only thing not included is a 9V battery to power the remote.

The body of the Bladerunner is constructed of painted styrofoam. This makes the copter very light weight. It’s important to note that the Bladerunner is an indoors ONLY RC toy. It’s too light to fly outdoors, even if it isn’t windy.

The co-axial rotor design of this copter is the secret to its stability. If you’ve ever tried to fly an RC helicopter, you’ll probably agree that it’s very hard to control it. Not so with the Bladerunner.

The remote control has two functions. The most obvious function is to control the helicopter during the flight. This is accomplished by using two thumb activated control knobs. The Left controller causes the helicopter to lift up and down, while the Right controller changes the direction while the copter is in flight. There is also a trim control knob that you can use to fine tune how the copter handles. The other function of the remote is to charge the battery in the copter.

A small door on the back of the controller covers a storage compartment that houses the charger cable. To charge the copter, you connect the included AC adapter to the remote and the cable to the bottom of the copter.

In the image above, you can see where to connect the charger cable. Be sure that the copter is not turned on when you are trying to charge it. It typically takes about 75 minutes to completely charge the battery; each full charge will allow you to fly for approximately 15 minutes. Luckily, you do not have to wait that long for your first flight as the copter comes charged and ready to go. Just install a 9V battery (not included) into the remote control, flip the switch on the bottom of the copter and on the remote and you’re all set.

Flying the Bladerunner is a lot of fun! It’s not difficult to master like other RC helicopters that I’ve tried in the past. In less than 15 minutes or so, I was able to lift off and fly forwards and backwards without crashing it into a wall or the ceiling. That might not sound very impressive, but I was pretty proud of myself nonetheless! ) If you’re looking for a remote controlled helicopter that is easy to fly, this one is an excellent choice.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Bladerunner II RC Helicopter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 10:15 am.

If you’re a fan of tiny RC (remote controlled) race cars, you’ll have a blast with the Q-Steer from Takara Tomy. Brando sent me the Mazda RX-8 version. He carries several car types including a Hummer, Subaru, Nissan and Toyota.

Always popular, these little race cars are great for both the home and office.

The Q-Steer comes with an instruction sheet (includes English instructions), a small remote control and the car.

Each car is only about 2 inches long by 1 inch tall. Yes, they are very tiny. But that means you won’t need much space in order to play with them.

Unlike some of the other miniature RC race cars that I’ve reviewed here in the past, the Q-Steer does not need to be charged before racing. It actually houses 2 coin cell batteries in its base. Two LR44 cells are used in both the car and the mini hand held remote. Brando offers a package with an extra set of batteries for an additional $2.40. These batteries aren’t very expensive, I’ve seen 10 packs on various online sites for less than $7.00.

The handheld Infrared remote is 2 x 1.5 inches. It has a forward and backwards direction button, as well as a left and right steering button. There is also a channel selector switch that you can set if you happen to be racing more than one car. More about that in a minute.

There’s a button next to the IR lens on the top of the remote. When you press it while driving the car, it gives it a little boost in speed.

On the bottom edge of the remote is a pop-out tool that you can use to set the channel on the car.

If you look between the bottom front and back tires, you’ll see what looks like a small slot screw head. This is the channel selector. My little Mazda Q-Steer can be set to either C or D channel. Other cars can be set to A or B channels. This way, you can race several people without having your remote interfere with theirs.

If you look between the top front and back tires, you’ll see a little lever. This is the On/Off switch for the car. This is a really tiny switch, which you can use the tool on the remote to flip (if your fingernails don’t work for you). Once you flip it to the on position, you’re ready to race it. Find a nice flat surface like a hard tile or wood floor. Carpet won’t work well as the fibers will wind around the axels and cause the car to slow down.

The Q-Steer isn’t as fast as some of the RC cars that I’ve reviewed, but it is easy to steer and a lot of fun to play around with. It’s also great for terrorizing your cat! ;o) This little car would make a fun gift for any kid or those of us that will always be young at heart.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Takara Tomy Q-Steer RC Race Car originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 29, 2007 at 8:00 am.

Do you remember my review of the highly popular PicooZ RC Helicopter? The PicooZ is a really small radio controlled indoor flying toy with a price tag of less than $40. I had a lot of fun with that review, so I decided to go completely nuts and try out the $300 Carbon Butterfly indoor RC airplane from Plantraco.

I knew I had crossed over into an entirely new dimension in radio controlled toys when the airplane arrived packed in its own lockable aluminum briefcase.

When I first opened the case, I became a bit terrified with what greeted me… I didn’t think this tiny airplane was going to survive more than a couple of minutes with me at the controls!

Neatly packed in the case is the Carbon Butterfly, Multi Function Transmitter, Lithium battery, computer serial cable, CD and instruction pamphlet.

The first time you see the Carbon Butterfly, you won’t believe it is robust enough to fly, let alone survive a crash. This little guy weighs about as much as a sheet of typing paper. The actual weight is approximately 3-4 grams. Repeat after me… light as a feather!

Something this small couldn’t possibly be strong enough to withstand much abuse could it? Well, you have to remember the name of this airplane… Carbon Butterfly. The frame is made of carbon fiber which is as flexible as fiberglass and as strong as steel. The wings and tail are covered in a very thin layer of Mylar and the tiny landing gear (wheels) appear to be made of Balsa wood.

The closer you look at this little airplane, the more impressed you will become. Check out the propeller which is also made of carbon fiber. And the wing, look at the design. It’s so fragile looking yet surprisingly strong.

The image above is pretty good at showing the Mylar wing covering. It’s very very thin. Of all the parts on this device, this covering is probably the most prone to breakage. That’s just a guess though as I have not damaged mine (yet).

The rudder on the tail is fully controllable. Also notice the various connection points throughout the Carbon Butterfly’s frame. These are called pylons and can be used to make fine adjustments to the plane’s flight patterns if needed.

A Swiss engineered gearbox drives the propeller which is powered by a tiny 4mm coreless motor. Connected to the motor is a small circuit board with magnetic contacts for the equally small Lithium ion battery.

Here is a close up of the battery, which is only about .75 x .50 inches. Plantraco calls this battery the Bahoma cell. That stands for BAttery HOlder using MAgnets. It doesn’t require a connector, pins to align, etc…

You just hold it up to the contacts on the tiny circuit board and it clicks on to the leads. Extremely easy to do. Of course, that ease comes with a price. More about that in a minute.

The Carbon Butterfly comes with a radio controlled transmitter that is powered by 4 AA batteries which are not included. Besides controlling the plane, the transmitter also is used as a charging station for the lithium ion battery.

The battery charger is located under a small cover. Like the plane, the contacts for the battery are magnetic, so you just have to set the battery on the connectors for them to snap into place. Completely charging a low battery can take as long as 60 minutes according to the instructions that came with the plane. I’m not quite sure of how much flight time you can get per charge. I was able to fly off and on for 15-20 minute a few times and still had juice left.

The hand held transmitter has thumb controls for throttle and rudder. The joystick-like controls don’t have springs that snap them back to center, but they are easy to use. You might notice the earphone like jack and phone style jack in the image above. I’m not sure what the phone jack is supposed to be for, as the instructions don’t mention it. But the earphone style jack is used with the included PC serial cable and flight simulator which is included on the CD that ships with the plane. The simulator allows you to get the feel for using the transmitter before you actually use it on the real Carbon Butterfly. The software is PC only though ( I skipped the flight sim and jumped right into trying to learn to fly the real plane.

The Carbon Butterfly is an INDOOR plane. You don’t want to use it outside unless it’s dead calm (no breeze). Remember, I told you this plane weighs less than a sheet of paper… so you get the idea. Now when I say it’s an indoor plane, you really need a nice open space to fly in. Especially as a beginner. Unfortunately for me, all my rooms are full of furniture, hanging lamps, etc. So I had a bit of trouble trying to get the hang of flying this little guy.

The biggest problem I had with the Carbon Butterfly was with the magnetic battery. Everytime I crashed the plane into the wall or other object, the battery would invariably fly off. Most of the time I didn’t have that much of a problem trying to find it, but sometimes the Silver color would blend in with my carpet and it would take me awhile to spot it. I almost went looking for a bright red permanent marker to paint it at one point. I really think that some type of secure clip should be considered so that the battery doesn’t disconnect from the plane so easily.

I found the Carbon Butterfly to be a lot of fun. It is easier to control and maneuver than the Picooz helicopter and is a tough little plane. I crashed it many many times into the walls and furniture and it is still working fine with no signs of injury.

The main problem with the Butterfly (other than the magnetic battery issue) is that it is so expensive. You wouldn’t want to give this to a young child. Nope, it is definitely a big kid toy. If you are an aficionado of RC toys (or aspire to be one) and aren’t scared away by the price tag, take a look at the Carbon Butterfly. You’ll have hours of fun with this one.

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Plantraco Carbon Butterfly R/C Airplane originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on April 24, 2007 at 9:08 pm.

Every year, there are a handful of toys that end up on the holiday gift wish lists of kids all over the country. I can remember 5 years ago when it was the Bit Char-G / Microsizer tiny remote controlled cars. Even my Dad stood in line at Radio Shack to get one (for himself!). This year one of the popular toys is again a remote controlled device. But this time it is not a car… it’s a tiny helicopter called the PicooZ.

When the people at Hobbytron asked if I would like to review the PicooZ, I was happy to comply as I knew this review would be way more fun than work!

Package Contents

PicooZ helicopter
Handheld transmitter
Spare Tail Propeller
Aluminum labels
Instruction Manual

From the images of the PicooZ on Hobbytron’s site, I wasn’t really sure what to expect of this toy. I will have to say that I was somewhat disappointed when I first removed the PicooZ from the package. I say this because the helicopter is made mostly of styrofoam.

Weighing in at an almost feather weight of 0.4 ounces, the PicooZ is small and fragile feeling. The body is styrofoam while the tail part is a thin tape covered plastic strip. The 3 rotor blades are made of a thin flexible plastic.

In contrast, the handheld transmitter is a robust plastic module with 2 thumb controlled joysticks that control power and direction. The transmitter is powered by 6 AA batteries (not included). In addition to controlling the PicooZ, it also charges the Li-poly battery in the helicopter.

On the Left side of the PicooZ there is a very small power switch and next to it, a socket for the charger plug.

The charger cable is located under a small cover on the top of the transmitter. Charging for 20-30 minutes will yield approximately 5-6 minutes of flying time. When I first read that, I thought that only having 5 minutes of ‘play’ for a 30 minute wait was pretty lame. I’m happy to say that in reality it feels like you have more time than just 5 minutes.

Getting your helicopter off the ground is an easy task. You just flip the power switch on both the transmitter and helicopter and then press the throttle stick upward. The rotors will start turning and the PicooZ will lift off the ground. Like I said, getting the PicooZ off the ground is easy. Now, controlling it is another matter entirely ;o) It takes a lot of practice let me tell you! I crash way more often than I’d like to admit. It’s really hard to keep from just letting go of the throttle when the PicooZ starts going too high. As soon as you left off the throttle, the copter drops like a rock. Once you can learn to ease off the throttle and make small movements, things work a whole lot better.

See it in action…

Click on image to play the QuickTime video (2min 07sec, 4.2mb). The video is encoded in the H.264 codec. You will need the latest version of Quicktime to view it. VLC is another free viewer.

The PicooZ is a lot of fun to play with. Just don’t think you’ll be able to fly perfect as soon as you take it out of the box. The good thing is that despite how fragile this little guy appears to be, it has survived crashing onto my garage roof, crashing several feet to my office floor, crashing into walls, etc. Although kids will would love this toy, I recommend giving the PicooZ to older more patient kids as I’m still not entirely confident how many hard crashes this tiny copter can withstand. Happy flying!

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

PicooZ RC Helicopter originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on December 11, 2006 at 5:41 pm.

What fascinates we humans so much about robots? From the menacing Gort in the
movie The Day the Earth
Stood Still, to the lovable Rosie the robot maid in the Jetson’s, robots
continue to amuse and capture our imagination. Is it that we want to use them as
beasts of burden, or as friendly companions? Whatever the reason, I’ve
personally  always
had an interest in robots and robot toys. I never had one as a child (unless you
count the one I made from my Dad’s old
Erector set…), so when
Scott from ThinkGeek.com asked if I would
like to review Robosapien, it
didn’t take me long to say heck yeah!

A week or so later, I arrived home after work to see that the UPS person had
dropped a big box off on my doorstep. Inside was the Robosapien package.

Photo courtesy of Thinkgeek.com

Included In The Packaging:

The Robosapien robot
User’s manual
Handheld infrared remote control
Black plastic cup

My first thought upon seeing this robot was that it reminded me of a Star Wars
Storm Trooper. Only on steroids and really little. ;o)  The Robosapien is
made of similar looking shiny white plastic with black accents.

Even though his height is only about 14 inches tall, Robosapien is a hefty
little robot. He weighs in at approximately 4.5 pounds with batteries installed.
Speaking of batteries, I was quite disappointed when I realized that none were
included with the robot. He requires 4 D sized cells and 3 AAA sized cells for
the remote. I actually had to wait an extra day and shell out approximately $12
before I could even see this product in action.

Once the batteries were in hand, I was ready to play. The two D sized cells
install in a cavity located in the bottom of each of the robot’s feet. A small
sized Philips screwdriver is required to remove the battery covers. The 3 AAA
batteries install into the handheld remote.

Pressing the power button on the back shoulder of the robot wakes him up. His
first actions are to stretch his arms, swivel his hips and make a little
uh-huh sound. Too cute! If you ignore him for 2 minutes or so, he’ll go into
a sleep mode. After 2hrs, he’ll shut off automatically. You should get about
6hrs of continuous play from one set of batteries.

Not one to read directions before proceeding, I picked up the remote and
began pressing buttons. Like a keyboard, each button on the remote has multiple
functions. Three to be exact. Each button performs a function after just
pressing the button. Pressing the Select button once and the same button causes
a different action to execute, and pressing the select button twice with the
same button enables a third function. The buttons and functions are labeled and
color coded to enable ease of use. 

Photo courtesy of Thinkgeek.com

The top grouping of buttons controls the arm movements, while the middle
section of buttons control foot movements. The lower section of buttons controls the
programmable features.

The IR receiver is built into the top of Robosapien’s head. Two red LED eyes
blink at you whenever he executes a command. The head even moves as he walks or
swings his arms. A visor can slide down over the ‘face’ of the robot to help
when lighting may be too bright (outside in the sun) for the IR remote to work.

Robosapien has several sensors including one on each heal and toe and one on
the longest finger of each hand. Pressing the sensors can wake up the robot when
it is sleeping, or cause it to stop and say ouch when it runs into
something. There’s also a sonic sensor on the front which senses sounds while in
listen mode. More about that in a minute. It’s too bad that Robosapien can’t
‘see’ things, recognize objects or words like the
Sony AIBO can.

Each arm has a different shaped ‘hand’ attached to the end of it. One hand has flat style fingers while the
other one resembles a claw. An LED is located in the palm of each hand. It
doesn’t really do anything other than look cool. The different hand shapes
facilitate the ability to pick up different types of objects. A
small black plastic cup is included. Check out the video clip that I made of Robosapien picking up and throwing the cup.

Click image to see .wmv movie (700k)

Robosapien has 67 functions that are available through the handheld remote
control. These functions include both movements and sounds:

1) Right Arm Up 2) Right Arm Down 3) Right Arm In ( LFT) Left Spin/Walk Button 4) Right Arm Out (FWD) Forward Walk/Slow 5) Tilt Body Right (BK) Backward Walk/Slow 6) Left Arm Up (RSD) Right Shoulder Down 7) Left Arm Down (LSD) Left Shoulder Down Left Arm In (RSU) Right Shoulder Up 9) Left Arm Out (LSU) Left Shoulder Up 10) Tilt Body Right (RFO) Right Forearm Out 11) Turn Right 12) Walk Forward 13) STOP Button 14) Turn Left 15) Walk Backward 16) (R>) Right Sensor Program 17) (S>) Sonic Program 18) (L>) Left Sensor Program 19) (R>) Right Sensor Program 20) (P) Master Command Program 21) (SELECT) Advance to GREEN Keys 22) Right Hand Thump 23) Left Hand Pickup 24) Lean Backward 25) Right Hand Throw 26) Sleep 27) Left Hand Thump 28) Left Hand Pickup 29) Lean Forward 30) Left Hand Throw 31) Listen 32) Forward Step 33) Right Turn Step 34) Backward Step

35) Right Sensor Program Execute 36) Master Command Program Execute 37) Wake Up 38) Reset 39) Left Turn Step 40) (SELECT) Advance to ORANGE Keys 41) Left Sensor Program Execute 42) Sonic Sensor Program Execute 43) Right Hand Sweep 44) High 5 45) Right Hand Strike 1 46) Burp 47) Right Hand Strike 2 48) Left Hand Sweep 49) Talk Back 50) Left Hand Strike 1 51) Whistle 52) Left Hand Strike 2 53) Bulldozer 54) Right Hand Strike 3 55) Oops! 56) Demo1 57) All Demo 58) Power Off 59) Roar 60) Left Hand Strike 3 61) (Select) Return to RED Command Functions 62) Demo2 63) Dance Demo 64) <, < Combination "Right Walk Turn" 65) >, > Combination "Left Walk Turn" 66) Forward, Forward Combination "Slow Walk Forward" 67) Backward, Backward Combination "Slow Walk Backward"

Besides these simple functions, you can also program Robosapien to execute
‘macros’. These macros can include 14 commands (steps). Although they can’t be
saved, they will be retained for up to 2hrs after the robot goes to sleep.

There are 4 programs that can be created:

1. Master Program. General control programs
2. Right Sensor Program. Triggered by touch to finger, toe or heel sensor on
right side
3. Left Sensor Program. Triggered by touch to finger, toe or heel sensor on left
side
4. Sonic Sensor Program. Triggered by a sharp sound or tap on his body

You can extend the 14 step limitation by linking in a program from all 4
sensors. If you visit the
Robosapienonline website, there is even a set of program instructions that
you can download to turn your robot into a sentry guard.

I didn’t really get into creating programs for the robot since I knew they
would be lost as soon as I turned him off. I enjoyed just pushing buttons and
experimenting with different objects to see if I could get him to pick them up.

Arm and body movements are surprisingly smooth and make a really cool
hydraulic type noise. He can also walk well on any hard flat surface. Some of
the demo modes will actually cause you to laugh out loud. The many sounds that
he can make are also amusing, like the hiiiiiya! karate chop
sound. Check out a movie that I made of the Robosapien in
dance mode. He’s even playing his own music!

Click image to see .wmv movie (2mb)

Robosapien makes a great toy for both kids and adults. Kids ages 6 and up
will have no trouble pressing buttons on the remote in order to control his
movements. Just don’t let the kids drop Robosapien. Although he feels pretty
sturdy, I’m quite sure that a short fall onto a hard surface would damage him.

Adults can take controlling Robosapien to the next level by using a Palm PDA
and an application called
SapBench. This program turns the Palm PDA into the handheld remote.

I had a ton of fun playing with this robot. Even my kitten Max made friends!

Even though I’ve never had a robot toy before, I’m pretty sure it’s safe to
say that Robosapien has to be one of the best available.

Price: $89.99 from
ThinkGeek.com

Pros:
Fun!
More fun!

Cons:
Batteries not included
Programs aren’t retained after robot shuts off

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Robosapien Robot Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 3, 2004 at 12:00 am.

You might say that I am into the import scene…

No, I am not attempting a remake of

Fast and The Furious on the deserted stretch of road near my house, I have
never owned a car with neon tubes of any kind, and the only time I use Nitrous
is when I am having oral surgery.

Still, I have owned my share of some “performance”
oriented autos from the Land of the Rising Sun, and I have spend more Sundays
that I can remember waiting hours for my chance to speed about some cones in a
parking lot (Solo
Racing).

With winter approaching and some serious maintenance
needed on my ’95PEP Miata – I welcomed the diversion of some new Micro RC cars
to play with.

I was sent two different sets of
Microsizers from
Hobbico.  As Julie did a very
through

write-up on the basic cars a while back, I will be focusing on the replica
bodies that accompanied these little runners.

Sure, little cars like these were all the rage last
Christmas, and many knock-off are to be found in discount bins in stores
everywhere – but are the originals still worth your gadget time???

Microsizer Auto Modellista

The
first stop in our automotive survey is with a four-body set inspired by the
video game Auto Modellista.  Though I have not played the game, it would
seem that it has been almost universally panned by critics (at least, the four
reviews of it that I read…don’t shoot the messenger).

Anyway, with a single controller and chassis, you have your choice of four
different covers from the cel-shaded diversion: an RX-7 (How I miss that car), a
Supra (another modern classic), and two versions of the Skyline (previously
unavailable before the Infinity G35 made it across the pond…).

For
those in the know, the Microsizers are the US versions of the
BitChar-G, and (with the exception of some
coloring changes on the controller) are identical to their Japanese brethren.

Price: $27.99 (from

Table Top Racers)

Pros:
Four cars in one
Race anywhere – impress your friends

Cons:
None
 

Microsizer Mitsubishi Lancer

Some of you out there might think
of the Lancer as the economical little compact that one might sing a little
Barenaked Ladies…(now I have it in my
head…like Harrison Ford I’m getting

Frantic – no!!!) but to those die-hard few Americans that have been
following the World Rally Championship for years are grinning ear-to-ear now
that the Evolution has finally arrived.

With a price tag slightly lower
than the turbo-charged, all-wheel-drive beast, this smaller version not only
fits in the palm of your hand, but comes in a standard yellow body plus a
bonus clear shell.

Why?  I have no idea…

I remember when see-through plastic was all
the rage with electronics (Remember the tricked Powerbook from

Hackers???)…this might be the case.  Also, I did a few years working in a
hobby shop, and the larger R/C cars that we sold there had clear lexan bodies
that were painted on the inside.  Trend or customization option – the choice is
yours.

Price: $19.99 (from

Table Top Racers)

Pros:
Some of the fun at less than .1% of the full-size price
Clear body – it means what you think it means

Cons:
Not All Wheel Drive
 

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

R/C Microsizers – Auto Modellista & Lancer Models Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on October 21, 2003 at 12:00 am.

I have always loved tanks.

There is something about the treaded behemoths that gets my testosterone
running in rivers and before I know it, I am beating my fists against my chest
and grunting like Tim Allen.

So, when the opportunity came along to take a look at the Combat DigiQ series
of radio-controlled tanks, I was jumping up and down in my seat.

For those who were unconscious over the previous holiday season, the micro RC
racer was the latest Japanese toy import (if you don’t know what I’m talking
about, Julie has a great write-up on them here).
Sure, I have a couple, and they are a blast to drive around my cube at work or
annoy the dog, but for those of you wanting a little something more… tank
combat.

Yes, you read the above correctly. Konami brings us the Combat DigiQ. These
little guys (which are only slightly larger than their automotive brethren)
actually fire an infrared beam at each other (more later).

There are four models of armor currently available; German Tiger and Panther,
Russian T36, and a good ‘ol Sherman from the US of A (always with the bad waves,
man…). I got my hands on the T36 and Panther (Oddball will have to
wait…alas). The models are stored in their controller, which uses the four AA
batteries to power the transmitter and charge the tanks for action.

When I first saw these little guys on the web, I initially thought they were
cool, but quickly decided that there was no way that something that small could
have working treads…they must have some cheesy wheels on the bottom, right?
Wrong.

The models (which can not really be deemed "scale" representations) are
pretty detailed for less than 2 inches in length. The packaging contains various
tools to adorn the side of your tank, and more than a few enterprising folks out
there have painted their machines to match various camouflage patterns and
theatres.

Sadly, the turrets atop these toys are for appearances only. While they will
manually traverse, there is only about forty-five degrees of rotation available,
but there are rumors of a new version with working turrets. The commander’s
hatch is made of clear plastic that is used for registering hits and receiving
commands from the transmitter.

Speaking of the transmitter, forget the little box that houses the Bit CharG
cars – this thing is fairly mammoth (I am reminded of the controller that
shipped with the Nintendo 64) and is meant to resemble a pair of field glasses –
there is even an optional neck strap for the device, an item that seems to be
used by the majority of veteran RC’ers.

Currently, the Combat DigiQ is available only as an import model, which is
not really a problem with the cars, as the operation is rather straight-forward.
However, the complexity of operating these tanks without a manual slammed me
into the language barrier.

Thankfully, a translation of the instructions can be found
here.
This manual is a must as all of the control labels are in Japanese – and they
are not something easy to figure out.

Actually, it took me a day just to get one of my mini-behemoths tracking
around on my desk (note, it is imperative that the tank be in the "OFF" position
for charging to be effective…learn from my mistake)…

When charged and assigned to a controller (you can quickly create a link
between any tank and a controller than bears the tank’s crystals) you are off
for some treaded mayhem. The speed of these tanks, while nowhere near that of
the cars, is pretty good – much faster and more responsive than their 1:1 scale
subjects.

The treads work as intended, with one control operating forward and back, and
the other essentially slowing/stopping one of the treads to turn left or right.
There is an issue raised with the controls. The left/right control does feature
an analogue-like control system (you can turn the tank in small degrees with a
short control pull) but the same feature is not found in the forward/reverse
control. Push the stick forward slightly and the tank is moving at flank speed.
More control is always better in my book.

Depressing either of the trigger buttons fires the main cannon – an operation
that can not be accomplished while the tank is in motion. When the "big dog"
speaks, there is no roar of a 75mm shell thrown at supersonic velocities, but
the tank does back up a few inches from the "recoil."

When a vehicle takes a "hit," a red light blinks underneath the forward
chassis and it spins in circles for a moment, then play is resumed (assuming
that you have life left).

There are three different modes of play; MANEUVER, BATTLE, and EXPERT. In
Maneuver mode, you basically move around and shoot – there are no ammo
limitations and no score is kept. Battle mode allows for a defined game to be
played, and Expert mode requires customization of the manner in which the tank
operates (cannon power/life/reload time/ammo).

Adjustable modes greatly expand the possibilities of these little toys,
allowing veteran mini-tankers a challenge while not alienating the noobs.

Okay, a select few of you are reading this, and thinking "this is nothing
new…" and you would be absolutely correct. Tamiya has offered a similar system
for their 1/14 scale model tanks for some time, but with a price tag that can
easily (with some aftermarket modification) close near to the four-figure mark,
the $64 asked for the micro version seems rather slight.

At the moment, I am resisting the overriding urge to get back into "n" scale
model railroading and build myself the quintessential French village as an area
for my latest obsession.

Down sides??? Sure… First getting charged and mobile can be remarkably
annoying and time-consuming – please download the English instructions. There
have been a few accounts of the Panther’s treads being lost during battle, a
situation which I did encounter from time to time. Lastly, the price can be
somewhat misleading, as it is an absolute necessity that you get two of these
items – if you are tankin’ solo, you are missing three-quarters of the fun…
 

Price: $64 from
Brando

Pros: 

They’re tanks!
Many play modes
Functioning Treads

Cons: 
Immediate Maturity Reduction of Operator
No firing when in motion
Forward/Reverse are on/off
Getting one ain’t enough

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

Combat DigiQ Tanks Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on July 10, 2003 at 12:00 am.

What makes a product popular? I’ve asked myself that question for the past
year after having posted a review of the Japanese
Bit Char-G radio controlled car. That review
continues to be one of the top 10 viewed pages on this site. It also has the
most active comment forum here too. It’s amazing that a ‘toy’ could have that
amount of popularity with adults. Because of this popularity, these little cars
are now being sold in the US under a different name (but are still made by Tomy).
The R/C MicroSizer which is available
thru TableTopRacers, is pretty
much identical to the Bit Char-G in every way. Instead of re-writing the same
review twice, go take a look at the Bit Char-G review and then come back here to
read about the differences.

Available in 12 different body styles, I was sent the Blue Subaru Impreza.
Like the Bit Char-G, the MicroSizer does not come pre-assembled. You must put it
together… which is actually quick and fun to do. All it involves is putting
the rubber tires on the front and rear wheels, putting the motor and wheel gear
in the correct location, snapping the heat sink cover in place, snapping the
real axel in place and then snapping the shell over the body. Luckily, instead
of having to decipher Japanese instructions to accomplish these tasks like I had
to do with the Bit Char-G, the MicroSizer comes with English instructions.

I mentioned the motor above, and just want to point out that when they call
this little car a MicroSizer, they are NOT kidding. Talk about a tiny motor! All
MicroSizers come with a 2.2 motor. 1.0, 2.2 and 2.6 motors are available as
accessories. Depending on the model, the Bit Char-G comes with a 1.0, 2.2 or 2.6
motor. (1.0 means 10,000 RPMs, 2.2 means 22,000 RPMs, 2.6 means 26,000 RPMs). By
the way – the motors are the same type that are used to cause mobile phones to
vibrate.

[Motor]

Before you can begin racing your car, you must first charge the batteries.
Like the Bit Char-G, this is done thru the hand held controller. The controller
requires 2 AA batteries that are not included. Once you pop them in, and flip on
the power, you’re ready to charge your car. To do this, you flip up the plastic
cover and snap the car onto the charging dock. A charging LED glows red for
approximately 45 secs. Once it goes out, the car can be removed and is ready to
play with.

The controller has an 18in antenna that can be extended by pulling it out of
the controller, and then retracted by rotating a crank on the back side. The
longer you pull out the antenna, the farther range you’ll have with the car. I
usually only pulled it out 12-14in or so. The thing I don’t like about the
antenna is the fact that it can get kinked if you’re not careful, and it tends
to fling around while you’re moving the controller.

To drive the car, you hold the controller between your hands and use your
thumbs on the two directional buttons. The left button rocks up and down, moving
the car forwards and backwards. The right button rocks left and right moving the
car in the appropriate direction. Steering the MicroSizer is easy and doesn’t
take much practice.

It is important to point out that the MicroSizers come in two frequencies –
27MHz and 49MHz. This is due to FCC regulations/restrictions. Bit Char-Gs come
in four frequencies – 27MHz, 35MHz, 47MHz and 59MHz. Because the Bit Char-G cars
are not FCC approved, most retailers will not carry them. What this really means
is that you will only be able to race cars with one other person (as long as
they have a car that uses a different frequency than the one you have).

The great thing about the MicroSizer is the availability of accessories that
allow you to customize your cars. You can buy different axels, faster motors,
different tires and even different body shells. For those of you that are
talented with a paint brush, there are even clear body shells that you can paint
any way you like.

The MicroSizers R/C cars will make any kid or adult happy. They are fun to play
with and small enough to hide in your desk drawer for those times when the boss
is near by. Buy two and race with a friend… they just might propel you back in
time to when mortgages and house payments were something only grown ups worried
about! )

Price: $29.99 – $32.99 available thru TableTopRacers

Pros:
Customizable
Fun!
Car charger built into controller
Fun!

Cons:
Can only play for about 5mins per charge
Only 12 body styles currently available
Only 2 frequencies currently available

Filed in categories: Geek Toys

Tagged: RC Toy, Toy

MicroSizer R/C Car Review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on September 27, 2002 at 12:00 am.